Body language counts. A few months ago, Paul, Sophie and Guy were helping someone with their media skills. A few months later and Paul and Guy were filming a corporate video for the same company and the delegate said “I remember that session. Sophie taught me to sit on a chair.”
He actually wasn’t joking, he felt anchored and more comfortable in his body language as a result. This came up again last Wednesday when Paul and Guy trained someone in a TV studio and – because they’re sneaky – they sat him at the news desk on a swivel chair. He was a really good spokesperson but immediately Guy started talking to him he started swivelling a little, from side to side, as he spoke and it looked terrible. He took the point!
Furniture influences body language
Chairs are great for sitting on, don’t get us wrong. But if you’re going to be seated in an interview and you’re on camera, remember to ask if they have a non-swivel chair if you’re worried you’ll look fidgety. Watch out also for high-armed chairs if they have arms; you might feel relaxed but you can end up looking hunched and the audience will tense up as a result.
In terms of your body language, lean back and you’ll look relaxed; spread your arms across the back of a chair or sofa (sofas are common on daytime TV) and you might even look a little arrogant. If you want to make a particular point sound important, lean towards the camera a bit and it will look as if you’re that extra bit engaged.
And if you want to learn to sit on a chair or to breathe to get your voice under control as the team will be telling a delegate this week, don’t hesitate to get in touch – contact details are below as always.
(The chair in the pic is in the Churchill War Rooms, where I took the picture after chairing a corporate round table for TP – no relevance other than “it’s a chair” and “I like the picture”.)
